Kingdom Knights
by The Oracle
Summary: Sora and King Mickey are both in a coma, and Riku's lost the ability to use the keyblade. He must now use a new weapon he's developed, to take on an old foe with new powers. Rated T for violence.
1. First Contract

The following is a crossover of sorts between Kingdom Hearts, and the Japanese series Kamen Rider Ryuki. I do not own the rights to either of these series, nor do I intend to profit from this story.

Enjoy!

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Riku rushed as quickly as he could…past the streets of his hometown, and over to the beach where many of his memories lay. He was older now, in his mid 20's, but with the same, stern, determined look in his eyes as his silver hair flowed. His attire now consisted of blue jeans, with a black shirt, that had silver lightning bolts printed onto the fabric.

It had all happened so fast, he thought to himself…one moment he was putting the finishing touches on his personal project…next thing he knew, these…things had jumped him. He managed to fight them off with his keyblade, but at the last moment, it had suddenly vanished from his hand. He had also just gotten a call from Kairi, who, in a panicked state, told him of an attack on her and Sora.

He rushed onto the sands of the warm beach, the waves gently lapping the shore, as what he saw had confirmed his fears…Kairi was knelt over the form of Sora, who was now lying on the beach, unconscious.

"Kairi!" He yelled as he ran to her side. "What happened?"

"I'm…I'm still trying to figure it out myself…" Kairi spoke softly as she looked to him with concerned eyes. "We were just sitting here, admiring the view together, when these dark figures just came out from under the shadows and attacked…"

She then looked to Sora's unconscious body. "He fought them as well as he could, but there were too many…then one of them just…struck him in the back of the head with some kind of blade…" She began to tear up a little.

"Hey, it's ok…" He reassured her as he held Sora's wrist for a moment. "He still has a pulse…and he's breathing…" He looked at his chest as it naturally rose and fell.

"So why isn't he waking up?" Kairi asked, even more distressed now.

Before Riku could think of a response, he suddenly sensed something materializing in back of him. He quickly turned to see Donald and Goofy running to their side now.

"Sora!" Goofy yelled as came over.

"Oh no…Sora." Donald lamented as he joined his side.

"What are you guys doing here all of a sudden?" Riku asked them, suspiciously.

"We were hoping you and Sora could help us." Donald responded.

"Yeah…" Goofy nodded. "Some weird creatures just came outta nowhere and attacked the king…and he's exactly the way Sora is now…"

Riku furrowed his brow as something came to his mind…he then looked over at Donald. "What do you think?…Heartless? Nobodies?"

"Didn't feel exactly like either one…" Donald shook his head as he answered.

Riku sighed as he stood up, thinking. He then looked at Sora, and back at Donald and Goofy.

"Get him and Kairi on the Gummi Ship! I'll join you as soon as I can!"

Kairi got up just as Riku began to run off. "What are we doing, Riku?"

"I'll explain later!" He yelled as he ran. "Right now, we need to get you both to someplace that's heavily guarded!" he then looked straight forward as he vanished back into the town, headed for his home.

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Riku rushed into his private lab, where he had been doing much of his work over the past few years. Usually the door had an encryption lock, but it was now busted wide open from the attack. He ran past a few computer monitors on his custom built system, which was made mostly of scrap metal, and old, discarded electronics.

He moved over to a shattered capsule, looking inside of it. There used to be a number of electronic units he had created, resting inside of specially formed grooves. But now, the attackers had stolen nearly all of them.

"Only two left…" he spoke softly to himself, looking over to the two remaining units on the far right of the capsule.

"Three, actually…" A deep, male voice suddenly called out to him.

He quickly turned to see the form of a large tiger walking into the room. It had an odd, unearthly glow around its form as it entered.

"Pardon me if I startled you…" The tiger spoke again. "But time is of the essence…in your universe, that is."

"Who are you?" Riku tilted his head a little.

"My name is Shere Khan." The tiger answered. "…and I believe we both have a common enemy."

Riku noted the glow around the tiger. The time he spent in the other realms of the universe had taught him many things, things he never shared with his friends.

"You're a spectre, aren't you?" He asked the tiger.

"Correct." Khan nodded. "I was robbed of my mortal body by someone…who shall remain nameless at this time."

"What are you doing outside of the Spectral plane, then?" Riku spoke as he walked closer to Khan.

"Because I know about the attacks…" He slyly answered. "I know who perpetrated them…"

"Ok…who?" Riku asked, still not entirely convinced about Khan's sincerity.

"They are called Phantoms…" Khan informed him. "You see, your old friend Malificent has been going into the spectral plane, and continuing the work of those who created the heartless…she's been trying to perfect them."

"How can Malificent move into the Spectral plane so easily?" Riku asked Khan as he sat in an old computer chair slowly.

"Because, when Sora first defeated her…" Khan responded. "She found a way out of the Spectral plane…but in doing so, she left half of her spirit inside of it. So, while half of her is in this world, her other half is in the Spectral plane, working together with her."

"So that's why she never fought us directly, last time…" Riku thought aloud. "She only had half of her original strength."

"Correct." Khan nodded. "That was one of the reasons she corrupted so many souls and turned them into the phantoms that just attacked you and the others…she's trying to find away to re-unite both halves of her spirit, and return to full power."

Riku nodded, before quickly eyeing Khan again, suspiciously. "How do you know all this?"

"Because she gave me a chance to aid her…" Khan answered. In that moment, one of the stolen devices from Riku's collection materialized in front of him. "She got wind of your 'Advent Knights' project, and decided to utilize it…she offered many strong spirits, including myself, one of your devices, as a means to reconnect to the mortal world, and fight for her."

Riku frowned as he stood up. "And you expect me to help you fight for her? Forget it!"

"Wait!" Khan yelled, before quieting himself again. "You didn't hear the rest of my story…see, I have no interest in serving another, and if Malificent gets her way, I'll have no choice in the matter…I fight for myself, and exist for myself. I always did in the mortal plane, and I don't intend for that to change here."

Riku nodded. Being a free spirit himself, he could sympathize, in a way.

"Well…" he answered. "You make a good point…plus it seems my keyblade powers have been neutralized…but that's why I created the knights. In case such a thing was ever to happen."

He walked over to the device that Khan left for him, and picked it up. It looked very much like a rectangular black container of sorts. He reached into it, and pulled out what looked like a deck of cards. They were all blank, except for a grey one on the top, marked "CONTRACT".

He pulled out the contract card slowly as he thought things over, nodding slowly. "Well Khan…you've convinced me for the time being. We both stand to lose a lot from letting Malificent win, and I need a new weapon." He then flashed the blank face of the contract card towards Khan. "Join me…"

"Gladly, young sir…" Khan smiled as he walked towards Riku. A strong glare of light soon shone through the card, and into the room, overcoming Riku's eyes as they squinted shut. Soon after, the light subsided, and Riku opened his eyes to find the card changed. It now had the picture of Khan lunging into action, with the word "SUMMON" now at the top.

Riku then put the cards away, as he ran out of the house with the device in hand.

Before he could get out to the beach, though, he was greeted by the sudden appearance of several dark, hooded figures. They each had red, glowing eyes, and flashed their jagged teeth, each bearing the symbol of Malificent's dragon head on the chest of their black robes. Riku recognized them from before…Phantom soldiers, being led by a faceless, dark figure with a sword and shield, a commandant of sorts for this group, dressed almost in the manner of a Roman centurion.

Riku grunted a little in frustration, as he looked to the Advent deck he held, the remaining two now in his pocket. The one he held now had the head of a tiger on it, a symbol of the contract he made with Khan. He then eyed the phantoms, and held the deck out in front of him, pressing a red button on the top of it, wordlessly, making it glow with its power.

The phantoms all charged towards him, only to see him suddenly vanish right in front of them as the power of the deck took hold…

They all growled and looked around, trying to find Riku, before he suddenly reappeared, and moved in with a flurry of kicks and punches, all knocking them quickly into the air and back onto the ground.

The phantoms all looked up and saw Riku, who was now in an impressive suit of armor, very much like a knight. Black coverings protected much of his body, as silver and dark orange armor was plated onto much of his upper body, the grill like visor of his helmet displaying three stripes, that all dipped down and up slightly in the center. It looked very tiger-like, again as a symbol of the contract he'd made.

The phantoms all rose and prepared to attack Riku again, as he then quickly flipped a switch on his wrist. This caused a holographic display to come up above the wrist, showing each of the cards available to him. He was able to quickly select a card through this display, and flipped another switch, causing the display to close as his wrist glowed.

"SABRE VENT" The voice inside of his armor's computer system spoke, as twin swords appeared in his hands, just as the Phantoms charged in for another attack. He effortlessly dove in with the swords, slashing each one gracefully as he felt the power of Khan's spirit assisting him, cutting through each of the phantom soldiers.

They all collapsed and vanished as he stopped and clashed his blades against each other. It all seemed like smooth sailing, until the commandant of the group rushed in and bashed him with its shield.

Riku grunted and fell back as the commandant then took a few swipes with his short sword, making sparks fly in and out of the armor as it cut into the chest plate. Riku shouted out in pain and rolled back, as the commandant then ran in for a killing strike with its sword.

Riku then felt another surge of energy go through him, as he held up and caught the sword between his crossed blades. He grunted slowly as he pushed back against the commandant, slowly getting back to his feet, and shoving the short sword away with a roar, hitting the commandant across the chest with a diagonal slash from his right sword.

The commandant fell and rolled away, as Riku then saw a red aura flashing on its form. This was special sign from the armor, he knew, telling him that the phantom was weakened; and now was the perfect time to finish the job.

He then reached to the switch on his wrist, and quickly selected the card he wanted, before hitting the switch again as it clicked and glowed once more.

"FINAL VENT" The voice in his armor called out, as the commandant struggled back to its feet. The spectral form of Shere Khan then leapt out from nowhere, and caught the phantom by the neck, growling.

Riku then held out his arms, as his twin swords transformed into a pair of impressive gauntlets with large metal claws. Khan then quickly dragged the commandant over to him, as he caught it by the chest in his right gauntlet, and lifted it into the air, sending shockwaves of energy into its body.

The commandant shook and yowled in pain, as Riku then used the gauntlet to toss it into the air for a moment. As it fell, he quickly shot out his right leg, and caught it right in the head with a hard front kick, making it explode in an instant with great force.

All was silent as Riku stood, watching the smoke from the battle clear. After making sure that no other phantoms were around, he quickly flicked a switch on his belt that disengaged his armor. It quickly broke off in pieces, and vanished into the device that held his advent deck, catching it as it fell into his hand.

"Well…" Riku thought to himself. "At least I know it works now…lets just hope that we can stop Malificent before she uses one of the stolen decks." He then ran off to where his friends, and the gummi ship waited for him.

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ATLANTICA (A few years after the events in TLM 2)

The figure of a man in his 30's walked slowly down the hall of his large estate, brushing his short, brown beard, which matched his brown hair, with a hand. His green eyes looked thoughtfully out to the ocean, as he stood in his regal blue jacket and gold chains.

He gazed down at the throngs of people and servants to King Eric and Queen Ariel, preparing to celebrate the 16th birthday of Princess Melody, which the aging King Triton would also attend.

The bearded man, known to all as Lord Ivar, shook his head slowly, seeming to be the lone person determined to break the mood.

"Why are we celebrating this?" He thought to himself. "The King may have everyone else fooled, but he can't distract me from what's going on…" he gripped the edge of the balcony as he sneered a little now.

"Why can't I get them all to understand? By associating with these…these fish people…these sub-humans… we stand to lower the quality of our human blood, and become a lesser kingdom in the eyes of our rivals…"

"If only there was a way to stop this folly…" He thought to himself, unaware of the shadow creeping up behind him.

"Ivar…" a Female voice whispered to him.

"Who's there?" Ivar furrowed his brow as he slowly turned around, seeing the form of Malificent walking towards him.

"Lord Ivar…" She smiled slowly. "I come bearing a gift…"

"You're in the wrong party then…" Ivar scoffed as he pointed past the balcony. "The royal castle is that way…"

"No, you don't understand…" Malificent kept her smile as she toyed with the head of her staff. "This is purely for you, my lord…" She then reached into her robe, and pulled out a device…an advent deck, just like Riku's.

"What's this?" Ivar looked it over curiously as it was handed to him.

"The means to make your dream come true…" Malificent answered, "With the help of one who despises the merpeople just as much as you…"

Ivar looked to the front of the deck, which had the design of an octopus on the front…


	2. Kraken

"So that's it? That's what you've been working on all this time?"

Kairi looked on curiously as Riku held out his advent deck. They were now standing in the courtyard of King Mickey's castle as he nodded slowly in response.

"Yes…Mostly from odds and ends I'd find in the scrap yard, along with some regular card decks I bought from the store…my time spent in the darkness, and with Ansem The Wise taught me quite a bit on how to manipulate the ordinary."

"So, this tiger…this Khan fellow." Kairi remembered what Riku had told her on the way. "He's inside that thing?"

"Not exactly…" Riku pulled out the contract card with Khan's picture on it, and showed it to her. "His spirit is still in the Spectral Plane, but he's now able to regularly manifest himself in this world through me. This contract card acts as a means for him to leave the spectral plane without it draining too much of his power, and in turn, his spirit powers the armor that I recently summoned."

He then pulled a holographic card out of the pack, that showed the appearance of the suit, and the diagnostics. "The armor is made from a special kind of spirit metal, that can solidify in the real world through some special nano machines I created for the deck…the spirit can shape the armor into whatever it wants."

Kairi nodded as he put the diagnostic card away, and then thought of something else. "You said there were other decks you made, right?"

Riku nodded as he pulled out the two other blank devices from his pocket. "Yes…I managed to save 2 of them, but the rest were stolen."

"Malificent has them?" Kairi asked, almost fearfully.

Riku nodded again. "And it's only a matter of time before she uses one of them…and I don't like the idea of someone like her having access to this kind of power." He then pulled out a device that looked like a watch, and put it on, adjusting the screen on it.

"What's that thing?" Kairi asked, leaning in for a closer look.

"Something I cooked up with Chip and Dale…" Riku responded as he pressed a few more buttons. "It'll help me get a fix on any one of the stolen decks, if and when they are ever used."

"So, when are we going after Malificent?" Kairi asked, seeming ready to help Riku.

"I have to do this alone, Kairi…" Riku sighed, wanting her to come but worried for her safety as well. "Nobody else knows how to deal with the decks. They're extremely volatile in this situation; if even one of these devices fall into bad hands, it could be extremely fatal."

Kairi lowered her head and nodded. "What should I do then?"

"Keep a watch over Sora and King Mickey with the others. I'm not sure how deeply unconscious either one of them are, but chances are they'd want a familiar face at their sides until I can find a way to bring them back."

Kairi nodded slowly as she gently hugged her friend. "Good luck, Riku."

"Thank you…" Riku simply responded as he returned the gesture. For Sora's sake, he never wanted to get too close to Kairi, but he still smiled a little as he turned and waved to her, walking back towards the Gummi ship.

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ATLANTICA

"Yes, that's it…keep walking…blend in for the moment."

The voice of Ursula rang deep within the head of Lord Ivar, who lingered slowly in the jovial courtyard of King Eric's castle. He kept a cool look on his face as he walked near the seashore for a moment, dressed in his lordly uniform as he talked to Ursula's spirit in his head.

"You said the royal family has bested you and your sister Morgana in the past." He looked to the castle for a moment. "What makes you think you can finish them off this time?"

"Because I have your help this time, darling…" Ursula's spirit grinned, as it remained invisible. "Nothing is a match for raw, seething hatred, and I can see you carry so much of it inside of you. You will use that for strength through the advent deck, and I shall give you more support than you could ever dream of…I'll even call forth the spirit of the all-powerful Kraken to guide you!"

"Sounds good…" Ivar smiled a bit as he slowly began to walk towards the castle. "What are we waiting for, then?"

"My my, you've become eager…" Ursula grinned again. "If you feel you're ready then, head to throne room…that's where the King, Queen, and their little brat are all celebrating with the lords and the rabble."

Ivar nodded slowly as he kept a casual look, making his way inside through the people.

Once in, he looked over and saw Princess Melody. She was older looking than when he last saw her, her dark hair longer as she beamed with her usual high spirit, dressed in nice red gown, graciously accepting greetings from the guests. She was also eagerly awaiting the arrival of her grandfather from the sea, along with the merboy she seemed rather fond of…

He then saw King Eric, now with some grey in his hair, as the loyal and pretty Queen Ariel stood next to him…the one who started this whole disaster, Ivar thought to himself as he silently slipped through the crowd.

Chef Louis, crazed as ever, slipped through and right past Ivar, holding a plate of hot pastries as Ivar quickly stepped back, and accidentally bumped into a guard standing near one of the doorways. He tried to slip away again, before he felt a hand touch his sword.

"Excuse me, Sir…" The guard got a good look at Ivar. "Were you invited to this event."

"What does that matter to you, guard?" Ivar sneered at him a little.

"I'm sorry, sir…" The guard kept the hand on his shoulder as he led him over to Eric. "The king gave specific instructions to bring any party crashers before him."

Ivar didn't fight it, seeing that now was the right time anyway. In a few moments, the guard brought him in front of Eric and Ariel. Eric's eyes widened a bit as he stepped forward, in front of Ariel.

"Lord Ivar…" Eric addressed him softly, knowing his opinion of his family all to well. "I didn't expect to see you here today. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Ivar took a deep breath as he stepped away from the guard, reaching into his pocket. "The end of your wretched bloodline, that's what…' He responded, just as softly.

Eric narrowed his eyes as he walked closer to Ivar, and looked him right in the eyes, dead seriousness written all over his face. "I warned you…"

Ivar kept his defiant stare as he slowly pulled out the deck from his pocket, his finger poised on the button. "We warned each other…majesty…"

"Guards! Get this man out of here!" Eric called out. "If he tries to come back in, by all means-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ivar pushed the button, and a flash of light came over the room. When the light cleared, everyone looked to see that Ivar had just transformed, and was wearing a strong suit of armor.

It was colored in a dark purple with black coverings and silver trim. A menacing grill, slanted in both directions, covered the helmet's dark visor, with a sharp octopus beak over the mouth section. Two small metal tentacles were curled up on both shoulder pads, adding to the ornate look of the armor as Ivar took a few steps, the purple metal boots clanking gently.

"Hear me, my fellow humans!" His voice now boomed out through the armor. "For too long now have I watched our bloodline become diluted through this horrid intermingling with the sub-humans from the sea! Today is the day we regain humanity's purity!"

"I will not have this talk at my daughter's birthday!" Ariel suddenly shouted out from behind her husband. "Guards!"

Ivar watched the guards rush towards him, as he simply prepared to counter-attack. He quickly sprung and nailed the first guard closest to him with a jump kick, before spinning and nailing another one with a few punches, before knocking him down with a hard backhand to the face.

He then looked over and saw a group with their swords drawn. He simply flicked the switch on his wrist, and quickly dialed through the selection of holographic cards as he faced them down.

"Blind fools…" he growled to the guards, as he clicked the switch back upon selecting a card.

"STRIKE VENT"

He then held out his hands as a new weapon appeared in them. It looked like a long purple whip, only with what looked like a dagger tied to the end of it. He twirled it over his head as two of the guards ran towards him, prepared to strike.

He then swung the whip expertly, quickly knocking the swords out of both of their hands before he swung it again knocking them both off their feet and onto the ground hard.

The rest of the group ran towards him, only to have him fling the whip again, which wrapped around the foot of another guard. He then pulled the flailing guard towards him, and with amazing strength, lifted and swung him back into the other guards, bowling them all over with great force.

Ivar then turned his attention to Melody, who attempted to flee out towards the ocean, as he threw out his whip, catching her around the neck with it.

"Melody, no!" Ariel ran towards Ivar, trying to stop him. He simply grabbed her by the dress with a free hand, and tossed her into Eric's arms, knocking them both over. He grinned under his helmet, as he looked to the choking Melody, and began to tighten his grip on his weapon…

That was, until something suddenly flew in and sliced through the whip, breaking his hold on Melody, and allowing her to dive into the ocean and swim to a safe spot.

Ivar looked over with a surprised face under his helmet, as Riku landed and rolled to the sword he just threw, in his armor as he picked it back up.

"Curious…" Ivar mused. "I didn't know there was already another like me."

"Leave these people alone!" Riku shouted, not wanting the device he created to cause any further harm.

"Hmm.." Ivar rolled his head a little as he flicked the switch on his wrist again, dialing through the cards. "You're going to have to do a little better than shout me to death, good sir…" He then clicked the switch back into place.

"COPY VENT"

Riku then felt something, as a mirror image of his twin swords flew off of his own, and into Ivar's waiting hands. Ivar then twirled the swords, and ran in to meet Riku with them.

Riku grunted and swung up his own swords as the blades clashed for a moment. Riku kicked Ivar away, who simply fell back and dashed in, twirling the swords as Riku dodged one coming towards his head, and jumped away from the one directed at his feet.

He then ran in and thrust one sword towards Ivar's middle, making him catch it between both of his own swords. Riku then brought the other sword above his own head and slashed it down Towards Ivar.

Ivar quickly rolled away though, and tossed one of his swords at Riku, making it glance off of his shoulder pad as sparks flew. Riku grunted and stumbled, dropping one of his own swords, as Ivar ran in and slashed at him diagonally, making Riku block and clash with just one of his swords now.

The two pushed and grunted as more sparks flew from each sword, engaged in a deadly power struggle, before something came out from nowhere, and struck Ivar hard in the chest. It was a beam of energy cast from the trident of King Triton himself.

Ivar yelled out in pain as he fell away from Riku, his armor smoking as Triton watched from the shoreline, with Ariel and Eric near him.

"Your insults will no longer be borne by either one of our kingdoms, Lord Ivar!" Triton shouted as he wielded his trident. "Your king has given the order for your execution, and I shall carry it out personally!"

"Save your breath, half-breed!" Ivar shouted back as he got back onto his feet, flicking his card switch once more. "The humans who see the wisdom in preventing this unification, along with the creatures you wronged in the ocean world, shall finally see justice!"

He then clicked the switch back into place after finding the card he wanted.

"SUMMON VENT"

The earth and ocean then shook, as Ursula made good on her promise. Ivar's protector beast, The spirit of the massive and powerful Kraken, broke the surface, its large tentacles lashing at any obstructions.

Merpeople in the area dove away in fear, as the humans near the sea also fled. Riku quickly got back to his own feet, trying to counter this attack as he flicked through his own cards, and quickly summoned Shere Khan to the scene.

Khan ran onto the beach, before taking an amazing leap and landing on the head of the surfacing Kraken, slashing and biting away. He was no match by himself for the Kraken though, as it quickly got a hold of him with one of its massive tentacles, and tossed him away, sending him crashing through the stone walls of the palace.

Riku grunted in frustration, as he then re-summoned his swords, and ran in to fight Ivar once more. Ivar quickly responded by summoning his reconstructed whip again, wrapping it around both of Riku's hands. He then pulled Riku in with one hand, and nailed him with a hard uppercut with the other.

Riku yelled out in pain as he fell to his side. Ivar then turned to see Triton combating the Kraken with his Trident, firing constantly from the end.

Ivar then slowly dialed through his cards once more, and clicked back on the switch.

"FINAL VENT"

The Kraken then held out one of its tentacles, as Ivar jumped away from the beach, and onto the limb. It then launched him extremely high into the air, before another tentacle reached up and lashed at his back.

This sent Ivar zooming back down towards Triton at an incredible speed, his foot gathering an immense, glowing energy as he held it out. Triton held out his trident to block him, as his foot made contact.

But Triton wasn't as young as he used to be, and his strength was failing…within moments, Ivar's foot broke through the gold of the trident, causing a huge explosion in the water he took Triton's life.

"DADDY! NO!" Ariel shouted, running over to where he'd been, with Melody at her side.

Ivar landed on a rock nearby, and decided to let the family suffer with their grief for now, as he used to Kraken to vanish into the ocean.

Riku looked up as he got back onto his knee, seeing Ariel and melody weeping greatly over their loss, as Eric did his best to comfort them, half sad and half angry at what had just happened…the great King triton was no more…

"Damn it!" Riku had shifted back to his normal form, as he pounded the sand in frustration. An advent deck, a device that he had created to protect the universe, had just taken a life.

In his anger, though, he hadn't noticed that one of the blank decks in his pocket was now beginning to glow…and slowly gain the symbol of a trident on the front…


	3. Sirena

ATLANTICA

"Enjoying your new powers, Lord Ivar?"

Malificent stood with her back turned to Ivar, rubbing the head of her staff a little. Since he had finished off Triton, he had thought it wise to go into hiding so that he could plan his next move.

"Oh yes, mistress. Thank you once again." He responded, smiling as he bowed to her, respectfully.

"Ohhh revenge is so sweet." The spirit of Ursula spun in the air happily above them both. "Even now as a spirit, I can feel the lovely taste of it in my mouth."

"It was indeed an impressive feat, that you two managed to pull off…" Malificent smiled for just a moment, before she turned to them with a serious look once again. "However…I am concerned for the future."

"What do you mean?" Ivar furrowed his brow.

"By killing Triton in cold blood on his granddaughter's birthday…" Malificent walked out to the seaside as she spoke. "You have most likely made him into a restless spirit…a specter, just like you, Ursula."

"So what?" Ursula folded her arms. "He's no longer a mortal. What could he possibly do to hurt my darling Ivar now?" Ivar nodded slowly in agreement as she spoke.

Malificent kept calm, but narrowed her gaze at them both now. "Were either of you aware that the boy Riku had two other blank Advent Decks in his possession?"

Ursula froze for a moment, as Ivar's eyes widened.

"Oh no…" He muttered.

"Exactly…" Malificent responded as she walked slowly around Ivar. "You may have just created a much bigger problem for yourself, my lord…"

"But you said this deck would make all my dreams come true!" Ivar protested.

"I merely gave you the tools to help you reach your goals…" Malificent answered, still calm. "How they were to be used was entirely left up to you…"

Ivar frowned as Ursula grinned and floated down to face him.

"Don't worry, my boy…remember we still defeated King Triton and the boy with our combined strength…we can easily handle any other battles that come our way!"

"Yes…yes, that's right." Ivar smiled a bit now, and nodded. He then looked down towards Malificent, who was once again walking away from him.

"Watch me, mistress! I will make this kingdom mine to shape for the future. I will end this mongrelized bloodline, and replace it with my own!."

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Queen Ariel held melody at her side, as King Eric sat calmly, and listened to Riku, who was now knelt down in front of them, in a very apologetic manner. He explained, as best he could, the situation to them. Ariel, who'd had past experience with Sora and the others, helped fill in the gaps for Eric as he explained.

"So you see…" Riku sighed, coming to the end. "I had created the advent decks with the purpose of protecting worlds like yours, should the power of the keyblades ever fail…however, many of them have now fallen into the wrong hands, as you have just witnessed."

Eric stayed silent as Riku lowered his head again. "I take full responsibility for this tragic death, since I was the one who created them…do with me as you will…"

Eric breathed heavily as he thought this over. He then saw Ariel suddenly rise up behind him, stroking Melody's back a little before she walked over to Riku, who kept his head lowered.

Tears were still welled up in her eyes as she looked down over him. Part of her very much wanted to take the anger and pain out on him…but another part of her still knew the truth, as she lowered a warm hand gently onto his shoulder.

"No, Riku…" She softly spoke to him. "This wasn't your fault…Malificent was the one who stole your decks, and Ivar was the one who…who…well, you know…" She subsided, not being able to bring herself to say it.

"We'd appreciated any help you can offer in apprehending Lord Ivar." Eric spoke up, finally, before shaking his head. "I always knew he was an unstable element in my kingdom. Even before I married Ariel, he, and a bunch of other lords stood up in protest to what they saw as blood-mixing. He was young as I was back then, but very persuasive."

"Just as prejudiced as Daddy used to be…" Ariel sighed as she sat with Melody once more.

Eric nodded as he continued. "But, as the years went on, all the other lords warmed up to our new royal family…except for Ivar, of course. As he found himself more and more alone in the world, he got angrier and angrier."

"I wish I could find a way to stand up to him…" Melody finally spoke, wiping away her tears as the sadness subsided, and anger began to take over.

"Melody, please…" Ariel stroked her hair a bit. "I know you're upset, but you don't have the training, or experience to fight a man like Ivar."

"Perhaps I could be of assistance." A familiar voice suddenly rang out over the throne room.

"Daddy?" Ariel quickly stood up in surprise, looking around as Eric joined her. "Daddy where are you?"

"I'm right here…Riku, if you could be so kind."

Riku turned his head in both directions, before looking down, and seeing that the voice was coming from his pocket. He reached in and pulled out one of the blank decks, which now had the symbol of a trident on the front.

The Spirit of King Triton then appeared from a beam in the deck, floating in the room, as Melody ran over to him. He was in his youthful form once again, red hair and beard.

"Granddad!" She exclaimed, joyfully.

"Hello my dear…happy birthday." Triton smiled as he spoke warmly.

"Daddy, what's going on?" Ariel asked as she walked up to join Melody.

"I am contacting you from Spectral plane…" He smiled again. "You'll be happy to know that I just recently found the spirit of Queen Athena, your mother, and your Grandmother."

"That's great, Granddad!" Melody smiled as she clasped her hands together.

"Oh yes…" Triton nodded happily. "It will be even better, though, after we've solved this little problem with Lord Ivar."

He then looked over to Riku. "Give this deck to Melody, please…"

Riku nodded slowly, as he handed it over to her. She carefully took it into her hands, as she gazed at it, and back up at the spirit of Triton.

Riku knew what was going on, as he showed her how to pull out and use the contract card, and complete the connection.

"As the future of both your kingdom and mine…" He spoke. "I entrust you with my powers from this realm, along with the spirit of Pelamus, a gigantic sea serpent that once lived in the waters near Atlantica, before it even existed. Use them well, my dear Granddaughter."

"I will, Granddad…" She smiled and bowed her head. "Thank you."

The sight of the front door to the castle suddenly blowing open soon interrupted this wonderful moment, though. The figure of Ivar in his armor once again stood in the doorway, now surrounded by some of Malificent's phantoms, which he borrowed to help him in his quest.

"The day of cleansing is now upon you all!" He called out with outstretched arms, as the phantoms ran in, growling and snarling.

Riku quickly sprung into action, taking out his own deck and hitting the button. His armor, which he had now codenamed "Tiger", materialized in mere seconds, as he ran in and nailed one of the phantoms with a jump kick, turning and nailing another one with a backhand.

Ivar let the phantoms tangle with Riku, as he slowly walked towards the throne. Melody now had a serious look on her face as she walked out in front of her parents, protecting them.

"Don't come any closer, traitor!"

"Or you'll do what, exactly?" Ivar stopped and tilted his head, not sure of what she was up to.

"Someone as bigoted as you may have trouble seeing this…" She stared him down as she answered. "But there are other forces at work besides those of Malificent and Ursula."

With that she then revealed the newly christened advent deck, and held it out for Ivar to see. Ivar stepped back for a moment, his eyes going wide under his helmet.

"My god…She was right."

Melody kept her gaze upon Ivar as she then pressed the button. Within seconds, she was now standing in a brand new suit of armor. It was fitted to her sleek, feminine form, with black coverings fitted with blue armor, which had green waves and Atlantican symbols printed onto it, with gold trim shining along the edges.

Her helmet featured a smooth black visor, which had the design of a sea serpent's jagged mouth over it. It also had a small golden crown extending from the brow, with a red crystal in the center.

"The day of true justice has come Ivar…" She spoke now with Triton's courage filling her, as her parents watched in awe. "And I shall be its agent!" She then reached and flicked the switch on her wrist, quickly selecting a card.

"STRIKE VENT"

She then held out her hand, as a gold and blue plated trident appeared in it.

Ivar was at a loss for word now, simply growling as he selected his own card.

"STRIKE VENT"

The whip then reappeared in his hands, as he twirled it, ready to take Melody on, as Riku continued to fight off the phantoms behind them, expertly slicing them down to size with his swords now.

Melody ran down towards Ivar, as he swung the whip towards her head. She then responded by quickly holding up her trident, catching the end of it on the forked end, and making it tie up and tangle.

She then quickly flicked her wrist, taking the whip out of Ivar's hands, before thrusting the trident towards him before he could respond him, striking him hard in the chest plate as sparks flew.

Ivar yelled in pain as the force of the blow sent him flying back into a table, crashing into it as plates and glasses fell on top of him and shattered. He then grunted and got back onto his feet, and selected another familiar card.

"COPY VENT"

Melody gasped as a mirror image of her trident came out from her own, and flew into Ivar's waiting hands. He smiled under his helmet as he then twirled the weapon and ran towards Melody with it, thrusting at her in the same way.

Melody sidestepped the thrust quickly, and swung the trident down towards his, making it smash into the ground as she then jumped and caught him with a hard kick to the visor.

Ivar fell back, the trident still in his hands, as Melody charged at him with hers. He quickly brought it up diagonally to block her, as the two weapons crossed, clashing as the two knights pushed hard against one another.

Ivar then took advantage, and kicked her right in the stomach just as she was about to push him over. He then swung the trident around him, and brought it down diagonally, slashing her across the chest.

Melody grunted and fell back, blocking Ivar's attacks now, as Riku was now finishing off the last phantom with his "FINAL VENT" maneuver, seeing this as he kicked the phantom and made it explode upon letting it off of his iron claw gauntlets.

Melody swung her trident impressively as she now had some experience with it, deflecting a thrust from Ivar as he nearly lost control of it. Just as he was about to run in again, one of Riku's swords flew in, striking Ivar in the shoulder in retaliation for the same attack from last time.

Ivar yelled in pain as Riku rolled in and picked up the thrown sword. He then looked and nodded to Melody, as she returned it, the two of them now double teaming Ivar. Melody smacked him in the stomach with the butt of her trident, making him drop his as Riku jumped in and slashed him numerous times with his swords, making sparks fly as he hit him with one more diagonal slash.

Ivar flew out of the castle with the force now, as he landed onto the sand and rolled a bit as his armor smoked.

"No…" Ivar coughed as he stood up, seeing Riku and Melody ready to double team him again. "No…You've not bested me yet!"

He then quickly selected a card from his display once again.

"FINAL VENT"

Riku and Melody stepped back as the earth shook once more, the Kraken once again breaking the surface as it waved its huge tentacles around.

Melody then stepped forward and flicked her access switch on her wrist again.

"I'll handle this, Riku…"

Riku nodded slowly as she then found the exact card she wanted.

"FINAL VENT"

The ocean was then interrupted by the appearance of another large creature, a massive green sea serpent with glowing red eyes, which splashed powerfully out of the water and roared.

Ivar quickly jumped onto the one ready tentacle of the Kraken, and let it launch him high into the air once more, as Melody also jumped out to the sea, with the serpent twirling and diving, creating a powerful wave that looked like water, but was actually made of pure, surging energy.

Melody leapt onto the wave, and rode it with her trident poised to strike, as she was pushed faster and faster, ready to meet Ivar head on as the Kraken's other ready tentacle struck him, sending him flying down in the same kick that finished off Triton.

The two finally met, as Melody's Trident cut right through Ivar, and slammed right into the Kraken with the help of the powerful wave. Ivar let out a tremendous scream of pain as the Kraken shrieked with the power overwhelming it, and exploded with massive force, sending water flying all around the area.

It was almost raining seawater now, as Melody landed with her knees bent onto the sand, watching as Ivar smashed into the sand hard. He rose back onto his feet, his armor now dull and grey in color as it no longer had the power of the Kraken, or Ursula to protect him.

"Why…" He muttered as he staggered on his feet, his armor sparking and smoking. "Why couldn't I defeat a mongrel like you?"

"Because you were the one who was truly dying…" Melody answered, now with the wisdom of Queen Athena inspiring her. " Because you refused to change your small minded ways, you were destined to meet this end, no matter what you did…not even the murder of King Triton could change this…you have lived alone, and now you shall die alone."

"No!…No!…Nooooooooooo!" Ivar yelled as this frightening realization hit him.

Melody said no more as she turned her back on Ivar, who found himself unable to shift back now as his armor sparked more and more. He then let out a final cry of anger and pain as he exploded in a great firey ball, and vanished in the consuming smoke.

With that, Melody walked back towards her parents, shifting back to her normal form with Riku, with a mature, and focused look in her eyes.

"Dad…" She looked to Eric. "You'd better call Mom's sisters up here as soon as possible, so that you can talk about a possible successor to Granddad's throne in Atlantica.

"What are you going to do?" Eric asked his daughter calmly.

"There'll be no peace in this world, or any of the others, until Malificent and the phantoms are defeated." She answered. "I think it might be wise if I go and assist Riku on his mission."

Ariel then hugged her tightly.

"Be careful, Melody…"

"Don't worry Mom…" Melody smiled as she returned the gesture. "I have Riku, and Granddad's power to help me. I'll be back before you know it."

Riku smiled as he walked over and put a hand on Melody's shoulder. "Nice to have a teammate. Come on."

Melody nodded, and waved to her parents, as she walked off with Riku, still in her dress.

"Do you have any other clothes on your ship?" She asked him with a smile. "I don't think this dress lends itself well to interstellar travel."

Riku chuckled a bit and nodded as the two walked over to where he had parked the gummi ship.

"I'll see what I can do…"

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BEAST'S CASTLE

Some time had passed since Belle had broken the spell on Gerard, the once vain prince who had been turned into a beast. Things were well at the castle, and the relationship between the now married Belle and Gerard couldn't have been better, as they now also had a young son, Maurice, to carry on the princely bloodline.

It was now nighttime in the courtyard, as the figure of a young man snuck into the area, brandishing a hunting rifle and knife in his belt.

Antoine was the teenaged nephew of Gaston, and even though they lived in separate towns, his uncle often visited, and he was very fond of him as a young boy.

The news of his Uncle's death had devastated. He didn't care that he was trying to kill the prince turned beast, he just didn't understand why Prince Gerard should have good fortune at the expense of his own family.

He crept quietly with his rifle at the ready, until a voice called to him.

"Antoine…"

Antoine quickly turned and aimed his gun, finding the figure of Malificent standing before him.

"What do you want?" He asked her.

"The same as you…" She smiled as she walked towards him. "To punish those who benefit from the anguish of others…and I have with me someone who can help make that happen for you…"

She then showed him a new advent deck…this one with the head of a vicious beast…this one looked similar to the beast Gerard used to be, only it was different…It was Gaston's spirit, cursed to live in such a form for all eternity for what he had done…


	4. Decimus

ABOARD THE GUMMI SHIP

Melody walked to the cockpit of the ship, dressed in a casual set of a T-shirt and jeans, on loan from Riku. She watched the stars go by for a moment, before gazing over at the pilot.

Riku handled the ship with precision, staring with great readiness outside of the window in front of him…as if he were simply waiting for something to happen.

"Hey…" Melody walked over and sat in the co-pilot's seat, as Riku didn't respond, still coolly operating the controls as he checked the navigation controls for a moment.

"If you keep staring out at the stars like that, I'm gonna be peeling you off the walls soon…" Melody joked, still trying to break the ice.

"Sorry for not conversing…" Riku softly responded. "I'm just trying to stay on the lookout."

"Looking for other dark riders? Like Ivar?" Melody asked as she stroked her tied back hair a little.

"Correct…" Riku nodded, still keeping his gaze outside and on the monitors. "The only way I can get a fix on an advent deck is at the moment a contract is made between a mortal and a specter." He lowered his gaze a little, almost shamefully. "That's why I couldn't get to Ivar before he…"

"Hey, stop beating yourself up over that…" Melody stroked his back just a little as she interrupted him. "You explained that all to us earlier, remember? We know it wasn't your fault about what happened to my Grandad."

Riku only nodded a little, trying not to lose his composure. "Well…at least that deck, and contract are destroyed now…Ursula is now confined to the spectral plane once again."

"Are we gonna have to destroy all the others too?" Melody asked as she sat on the edge of her chair a little bit.

Riku nodded again. "I'm afraid so…but they're all in the wrong hands now, and there's nothing I can do to get them back."

"Are you sure?" Melody kept with her inquiry. "I mean, I could understand someone like Ivar never wanting to switch sides…but what if a deck goes to someone who could be persuaded?"

"I find that highly unlikely…" Riku shook his head slowly. "Malificent knows what she's doing when planning something like this…she's sure to pick the most ruthless, and cunning villain on this realm to hold the next deck for her."

"Maybe you're right…" Melody nodded slowly, still not sure, but not wanting to press the issue any further.

"Bingo!" Riku suddenly called out as he tapped at a dot on the monitor. "There's our next stop."

Melody nodded quickly, and strapped herself into her seat, as Riku put the thrusters on full blast, and sent the Gummi Ship roaring through the cosmos towards its next destination.

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BEAST'S CASTLE

"Maurice!…Maurice!"

Belle was in a casual night dress now, as she called out into the open courtyard for her son.

A young dark-haired boy dressed in a simple pair of trousers and a shirt, soon ran out onto the grass soon after, followed by young Chip, who was slightly older than him, but still willing to play with him.

"Yes, Mother?" Maurice called back.

"It's getting dark out, Maurice…" Belle smiled as she called out again. "You'd better come inside before it gets too cold out…come on, I'll even read to you again!"

"Ok, mother!" Maurice smiled and nodded, as he watched Chip go over to look for the ball they were tossing around.

"Now where is that thing?" Chip asked aloud as he rummaged through some of the bushes.

"Hurry up, Chip!" Maurice ran over to assist him. "Mom's probably getting out that book about the knights and that magic sword again."

The two continued to search and search, before Maurice suddenly came to a pair of boots standing right in front of him…he looked up slowly to see Antoine looking down at him, holding the ball they had been looking for.

"Hello there…" Antoine simply smiled, giving the ball back to Maurice.

"Who are you?" Maurice furrowed his brow as he held the ball.

"Oh, I'm a friend of your Father…" Antoine kept the smile on as he answered. "Do you think you could help me find him?"

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"Found him?" Gerard asked Belle, sitting by the fireplace casually in a thick robe, watching his wife walk over with a familiar book.

Belle nodded and smiled. "Oh yes…He'll be coming in soon, I think."

Gerard smiled as he chuckled a bit. "Good…he's become quite an energetic young man…so spirited and fearless…" He looked fondly at Belle. "Reminds me of someone I know."

Belle just nodded slowly as she smiled. "Well, he has some of his father's temper at times too." She giggled as Gerard simply smiled and shrugged.

"Father?" Maurice's voice entered the room a moment after.

"Yes?" Gerard straightened up a bit in his chair.

"There's a man here who says he knows you…"

Gerard furrowed his brow. "Oh? Where is he?"

"Right here…" Antoine smiled as he walked in behind Maurice, patting the boy's head as he passed him.

Gerard's expression hardened as Belle watched curiously.

"Explain yourself, trespasser…" Gerard brought his voice to his more official tone.

"So here you are at last…" Antoine spoke, eager, yet somber as well. "The ones who caused the death of my dear Uncle…"

"Oh my god…" Belle's eyes went wide…she recognized the eyes and nose on Antoine…they were the same as Gaston's.

"I see you already know of whom I speak…" Antoine turned his attention to Belle now, his voice quivering a little with emotion. "My dear Uncle Gaston…the man who used to come to my village all the time, and teach me how to hunt…who taught me how to fight…and taught me to always pursue what I wanted, no matter what."

"Your dear Uncle…" Gerard stood to face the young man now. "Also died while trying to take my life…and if he had survived his fall, he would have faced trial, and certain execution for the attempted murder of a Prince!" He placed his hand on his chest as he asserted himself.

"Oh yes…" Antoine breathed in sharply, as Belle quickly took Maurice to her side. "I've heard all about that…back when you were a beast! An abomination against all mankind, living in a palace full of freaks!"

"Mind your tongue, lad…" Gerard narrowed his gaze some more as he walked towards Antoine. "And if you don't remove yourself from my palace this instant, then I will see to it that you spend the rest of your misguided youth in a jail cell."

"Gerard, calm down!" Belle scolded her husband, keeping her son at her side, as she looked to Antoine. "What is it you're seeking with us?"

"I seek satisfaction…" Antoine answered, his lip quivering as he reached into his pocket. "On behalf of one who cannot seek it himself…"

The family watched as he withdrew his new advent deck, with the face of Gaston's new beast form on the front.

"Look on this face…" He trembled slightly in a growing rage as he held the deck out for Gerard to see. "This is the spirit of my dear Uncle…who is now cursed to look as you once did for all eternity. I…we seek revenge for this injustice!"

Gerard looked on, confused. "I don't know what you're planning to with that little knickknack, but-"

A flash suddenly came over the room as Antoine pressed the button on the deck, transforming him instantly.

Once the flash subsided, Belle quickly ran off with Maurice, leaving Gerard to face down Antoine, in his new suit of armor. It was mostly green, green armor plates and coverings, with silver trim and lining, and white gloves and boots. The visor on his silver helmet was thin, but precise, as a shine of red light ran back and forth along it.

Gerard quickly drew a sword from nearby to defend himself, as Antoine reached to a large silver handgun that was holstered on his right side. During his time on the spectral plane, Gaston had learned a lot about modern weaponry, and applied it to his creation of the armor for Antoine.

Antoine quickly shot out his right hand, holding the gun as he fired it. The weapon made an impressive noise, almost like a hammer repeatedly slamming into hard metal, as shots rang out in the room, shattering windows and objects around the fireplace, as Gerard ducked behind his chair.

"Belle, get out of here! Take Maurice!" Gerard shouted, as Antoine quickly ran out of the room, looking for them. He then saw the forms of Belle and her son running down one of the staircases in the main hall.

Antoine looked to his card switch, which was on the loading base of his gun, instead of on the arm, and flicked it. The bottom of the gun came open as he quickly selected a card from the hologram displayed below him, and closed the bottom back up.

"SHOOT VENT"

He then put the gun back in its holster as he held out his arms, as a much longer and larger two-handed gun appeared in them…almost like a grenade and rocket launcher put together.

Gerard quickly ran over to stop him, sword at the ready, as Antoine quickly sensed this. He quickly turned and smacked him in the stomach with the butt of the large gun, sending him reeling. He then turned his gun back to the staircase, and fired.

An enormous burst of power sent Antoine sliding back a few feet, as Belle looked and saw a large ball of concussive force heading right towards her. She quickly led Maurice back up, before the ball smacked into the stairs, completely obliterating one section of them.

Belle screamed as she fell, and caught herself on a step, hanging from it as Maurice ran down to her, standing at her feet as he called out for help from his father.

Gerard looked up and grunted in anger as he saw this, trying to get back up from the floor. As he was rising, however, Antoine came down hard on his left hand with his right boot, almost crushing it under the weight.

Gerard yelled out in pain, as Antoine aimed his gun directly at the dangling Belle.

"Watch …" He growled to Gerard. "Watch your pleasant life come to an end, just as mine did…"

Just before he got the shot off, however, something suddenly ran in and tackled him.

Riku had leapt in just in time, in his armor, throwing Antoine off target as he fired and missed, the ball of energy from the gun smashing into another window instead.

Antoine yelled in frustration as he faced Riku down, tossing his larger gun aside as he pulled his main gun back out, firing. Riku quickly responded by dodging the blasts and summoning his swords, deflecting the shots as he twirled them, and jumped, coming down and slashing Antoine across the chest with one.

Antoine yelled in pain as sparks flew, running into a beam as he fell back, causing a shockwave to run through the stairs well Belle was hanging. She could no longer hold on, as she began to plummet a long way down towards the floor.

"Mother!" Maurice shouted, as Belle fell with a horrified look on her face…

But, just as she reached the bottom, Melody soon ran in, dressed in her armor as well, and caught her in her arms.

Belle was even more surprised now, as she looked to Melody's armored face.

"You OK?" Melody asked.

Belle simply nodded in response.

"Good…whoa!" Melody grabbed Belle again and jumped away with her as Antoine fired some more shots from his gun. He then opened the bottom of his gun once more, and selected another card as he closed it back up.

"SUMMON VENT"

A great roar was heard in the main hall now, as the specter of a horrid beast leapt onto the scene. It was the spirt of Gaston of course, who had a form much like the one Gaston used to have, only with a much more menacing look. He flexed his longer claws as he bared his sharp, drooling teeth, his eyes glowing red with his rage.

Antoined fired more shots at Riku, making him block as Gaston growled and ran quickly towards the enemy, catching him in the stomach with a clawed right hand as Riku grunted, dropping his swords as he struggled to keep the claws from penetrating any further.

Gaston then snarled in satisfaction, as he lifted Riku on his large hand with great strength, and hurled him at a deadly speed towards a wall, making him smash into a corner as pieces of it came off and crumbled over top of him.

Riku grunted in pain, unable to move at the moment as Gaston growled and turned his attention to Belle, who was now attending to Gerard, who was cradling his injured hand.

Medlody quickly responded before he could do anything, and summoned her trident weapon, running in and thrusting it into his side. Gaston yowled in pain, and jumped back as she then quickly summoned her sea serpent, Pelamus.

The Serpent rose through a kind of spirit water that appeared from out of nowhere on the floor, as it then rushed in and head butted both Gaston and Antoine, sending them flying through a window and rolling into the outskirts of the castle.

Melody quickly helped Riku back to his feet, as he jumped onto the Serpent's back with her, riding it out to where the enemies had landed, and hopped off onto the grass.

Antoine grunted and growled in frustration as his armor smoked a bit, impatiently opening up his gun once more and selecting the card that he knew would finish them off, before closing it once again.

"FINAL VENT"

Gaston then appeared in front of him, using his malleable spiritual form, and holding out his paws as a slot appeared on his back. Antoine then slipped the muzzle of his gun into his slot, causing all manner of guns and blasters to appear on Gaston's shoulders, his hands, and his mouth, as his chest opened up to reveal a truckload of missles.

Riku and Melody quickly ran for cover, as Antoine pulled the tigger, causing a chaotic blast of rapid fire energy bullets, coupled with powerful beams, to erupt from Gaston's form.

The barrage of energy missiles that launched all at once from Gaston's chest soon joined the cascade. The attack slammed and slammed repeatedly into one side of the castle, causing a rain of stone and dust to go through the courtyard, and leaving a large, gaping hole as an explosion rocked the section.

The attack soon ended, as the castle still stood, and no sight of Riku or melody, as Antoine looked around for any signs, confident he had won.

He was soon blindsided, however, by the form of Shere Khan once again leaping in to help Riku, jumping right on top of Antoine and chomping into his armor.

Antoine yelled out and grunted, trying to get the tiger off of him before finally smacking him away with the butt of his gun. His vision was now a little messed up, due to Khan biting him in the visor.

Riku and Melody ran over to finish him off, before he soon grabbed the waiting paw of Gaston, who swiftly pulled him off to safety in the forest.

Riku grunted in frustration, as Melody looked back to the damaged castle, which was already being taken care of by the servants and guards.

"I think we should head back and see if everybody's OK…" She told Riku as she placed a hand on his shoulder. Riku resisted for a moment, but soon nodded in agreement as the two ran back to the castle.

"This is not looking good at all…" Malificent thought to herself, having watched the battle from a distance. She turned and furrowed her brow as she considered the situation.

"As long it's those two against my chosen fighter, he's not going to stand much of a chance…"

A portal then opened in front of her, as she began to walk through it.

"I guess I'll just have to speed things along a bit." She finally thought to herself, as she held up her staff for a moment. It now had the glowing symbol of the Kraken that Lord Ivar once possessed…

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AGRABAH

Just outside the city limits of Agrabah, the form of a lone traveler on horseback ran out into the sandy abyss.

Yousef was a grizzled man in his early 30's, and a former member of the 40 Thieves. Ever since Aladdin's father had departed from the group, however, the 40 Thieves decayed, and eventually disbanded.

He was now reduced to being a drifter, moving from place to place. He had tried to obtain work at Agrabah Palace, but once his past had been discovered, his services were refused.

Since he had been denied the chance of legitimate work, Yousef had decided that the only way he would ever obtain money or power would be through his own means…but he was not yet sure what those means would be.

His horse galloped along on the sand, as he looked out, and saw the form of a woman in black standing still in front of his path in the distance. He curiously hopped off of his steed after pulling up, and walked towards her.

"Are you lost?" He asked her.

"Aren't you?" Malificent asked him in return.

Yousef scoffed. "I don't have time for lunatics…" He turned and began to walk back to his horse.

"You ARE lost, Yousef…" Malificent spoke again. "Lost in the scramble for your own sense of self worth…years wasted by committing petty crimes, wandering aimlessly for the meaning of true power."

Yousef froze, and turned to Malificent as some sand blew over both of them.

"And I suppose you hold the meaning?"

Malifcent nodded slowly as she smiled in a sinister manner. "I, and one who once tasted such power…and he's looking for someone to inherit his knowledge…and his strength."

Yousef began to walk closer, as Malificent then pulled out a deck with the image of a large Cobra…


End file.
